Adventures in Meanwood

I went to Meanwood Community Shop again today to drop off a couple of bags of clothes, and I got an armful of books and a cd for £1.25. It's pretty refreshing to find a charity shop that still prices goods affordably to make it accessible to the local community, unlike some of the larger ones that over-price. The charity the shop supports is "Leeds Community Trust", and you can read about them in the Yorkshire Evening Post here.

I then went to the Nettos and then the new Waitrose (more later) for groceries and on the way home managed to coat all my purchases in soya yoghurt after taking a detour home via Woodhouse ridge and slinging my shoulder bag over my shoulder a little too enthusiastically. 

So, the items I bought today and then had to wash yoghurt off:

• CD Album "Hook Up" by The Veronicas (which I'm really enjoying, it reminds me of the sort of pop music my ex-housemates Bob and David might have listened to in the past, slightly rocky pop music with synthesised strings, drum machines and harmonies. Good in the same way Kelly Clarkson - who has a song called "I do not hook up" - is good) and 3 nicely illustrated children's books (from the community shop)
• Box of crunchy nut cornflakes & bag of demerara sugar (from netto)
• Various baking ingredients including buckwheat flour (for waffles) and cocoa and a pot of yoghurt (from Waitrose).
• The guardian (from booze bargains, as Waitrose was over-run with guardian-buying liberals, so there were no copies left).

I couldn't really wash the yoghurt off the guardian, so some of the sections are just yoghurty, but I am pleased to report the family section (my favourite) remains undamaged.

(My typical reading order for the guardian is as follows: Work, Money, Family, Travel, Weekend, Main Section. I then sometimes read the guide but I never read the sport, that's for the cat tray.)

So, let me tell you about the new Waitrose:

It replaced the Co-op supermarket, and they didn't just take over the existing building, they knocked it down and built a new one with multi-level access, with a conveyor belt/escalator taking you from the car park level up to the store, with an autumated voice telling you when you are about to reach the top.

It was very busy, which is probably because it's the first Saturday since it opened on Thursday. They had an impressive range of flours in the baking section, and a good range of soya milks and yoghurts. This all seems to come at a slight premium; whilst 1000 prices have been price-matched to Tesco, the rest are probably higher, and Tesco isn't always that cheap anyway. But I was able to get organic cocoa powder, which I can't usually find in Morrisons. 


I have been tipped off that the end of Thursday is the best time to go to Waitrose for bargains, so I might call again then and see if there are any affordable treats to be had. That might also be a good time to check round the back as well...